Pand Noord

AMSTERDAM – Named after its area Amsterdam North, Pand Noord is an old industrial warehouse that has been transformed into a popular creative workspace. This 7.000m2 business complex has been created exclusively for creative industries. The building was purchased by HighBrook Investors and has kept its industrial appearance throughout its renovation. To create a workable interior, HighBrook tasked Hollandse Nieuwe to design a series of calm and unified spaces that could inspire and support a variety of creative industries. The Building When walking from the north, in the site’s oldest building to the newest area in the south, the building reveals it’s expansion and history in a series of linked boxes. From the reception, a long central corridor opens up the various building components and functions, which are interrupted in a few select places by high atriums spaces. The Concept The block box’s original routing felt unbalanced and chaotic, a consequence of the building’s growth over the years. As a workspace housing over 40 creative companies, the building should invite the companies to socialize, but should also offer each single company a space to focus and support the productivity of the employees. The first design starting point was to create a series of tranquil spaces, where light, space and materials blended together to create a sense of organization and unified spaced. Hollandse Nieuwe developed the design concept from a thorough historical and spatial analysis, which lead to the second starting point, based on the existing architectural qualities. Old parts of the building were used as factory halls and its industrial appearance is still very noticeable. The younger part of the building has a rougher appearance, befitting the old industrial architecture of the adjacent sections of the building. A specific wish from both investor and architect was to maintain and highlight this industrial quality. The spatial concept follows the previous starting points. Each space is located in a different part of the building, and each of them have a unique appearance. This characteristic led to a design strategy where Hollandse Nieuwe, based on the themes of each separate space, gave each room the feeling of being a different world. The themes that were chosen for the spaces were based on their historical function and on the palette of materials that were present in each space. The Design The former offices of the industrial company that used to be located at the building have been transformed and now function as the reception area of Pand Noord. Due to its historic character, the reception has a high-quality representative appearance. The use of materials such as oak, alongside the white walls, help to create a calm and transparent experience. The floor itself is also oak in a herringbone pattern. Factory 1 Adjacent to the reception is the first atrium, which houses a meeting area. The grey frames of this area were taking as starting points in regards to what materials should be used. Making the lower half of the space fully grey creates a simple atrium experience with a calm atmosphere. Factory 2 The second former factory hall, a high-ceilinged space with a sloping roof, now serves as the restaurant. The industrial steel trusses were the inspiration for this area. While the entire area has been designed with different materials and textures, all these share the same fresh, light grey color. The oak herringbone pattern found in the reception hall returns here, but in a light natural grey stone. LED-light lines have been attached to the wall vertically, together with the two trees in this area they emphasize the height of the building. The area is spacious and serene and invites the various companies to connect and socialize. Offices The youngest part of the building is a grand atrium with adjacent office space units. The rough concrete interior has been retained and only the red accents in this area have been enlarged and intensified. Like other areas, this it creates a single gesture: an entirely red lower part in the atrium. A large art piece, created by artist ZenkOne, has been placed through the atrium, strengthen its rough character as well as adding red highlights. This art piece depicts numerous unique themes and narrates the rich history of both the building of Pand Noord and its area Amsterdam North.